Change For The Better

The process of change can be a difficult one. It is claimed that the human brain scans its sensory environment to discern changes, with the idea that anything new can be either a threat or an opportunity. I have been reliably informed by some experts who spend far more time studying these matters than I do, that the brain is an optimal efficiency machine, attempting to process everything it perceives in a binary fashion. Essentially it asks whether the changed landscape in front of it is worth the energy needed to bring it under control. Thus, humans are prone to avoid change unless it results in something of obvious benefit.

In examining major changes to a school culture such as those envisioned with the introduction of a new program it is important to anticipate a degree of resistance. It appears to be only human after all. Often proposed changes are examined through the lens described above. Is the change worth the effort? Will it require more work, and if so, what will the benefit be? These are the normal reactions to change that apparently most, if not all people exhibit.

When you consider that education tends to be a field that is more conservative than most, the challenge of change in this area is even greater. In his cleverly titled book: Seven Secrets of the Savvy School Leader ( http://www.robevans.org/Pages/pubBook_SevenSecrets.htm), Robert Evans points out that teaching attracts people who have an attraction to security and a strong ethic of service. Let's face it, the reward of money is not the prime motivator for teachers; the rewards are far more intrinsic and vocational in nature. Thus loyalty, familiarity, and continuity feature strongly in the field of education. For the most part these are good things, but not when you are trying to affect change on a large scale.

Introducing a program such as the IB into a school involves massive change. It impacts everything from what is taught at the start of a school year to when it is assessed (not necessarily at the end), and everything in between. It challenges schools to adopt a new framework for teaching and learning, and it places a particular onus on the student to be responsible for her or his own learning. During a year in which our graduates have taken their first ever IB Diploma Program exams (grade 12), and our Primary Years Program students (grade 6) have presented their first Exhibition of work, the impact of change has been noticeable. While the full evaluation surrounding program change will take place over time, and there may still be those who yearn for the past, the early indications are that the changes have been positive. A heightened academic profile has been noted at the senior end through the taking of the IB exams, while our younger students have transformed their own learning through the exhibition of work that is student-centered and reflects their personal interests.

In every respect this represents Change for the Better.